Hello and welcome to News Out from the BBC World Service, coming to you live from London with me, Sean Lay.
They may not talk, they may not actually meet,
but the fact that Iran's foreign minister and Donald Trump's envoy are expected to be in the same building at the same time in the Gulf state of Amman today is a small sign of progress.
After all, in his first term in office,
President Trump pulled out of a deal that was signed by Iran and the Obama administration in 2015 to limit Iranian nuclear enrichment in return for relief from sanctions.
If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen.
In just a short period of time,
the world's leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world's most dangerous weapons.
Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
That was President Trump speaking in his first term in May 2018.
Now with the United States and Israel fearful at the progress Iran has made towards processing weapons-grade uranium,
and with the restrictions imposed under the existing deals set to expire later this year, there is an incentive to talk.
The US to keep Iran constrained, and Iran wanting to avert the threat of being bombed.
Let's speak now live to our Chief International Correspondent, Lise Doucette.
Lise, there seems to be a combination of here of huge distrust, but also very high stakes.
Yes, both of those, but importantly at this moment, they at least are in the same city,
and we've just seen on social media a post from Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson saying indirect talks have begun,
and he said that they will be at a location planned by the Omani hosts, and they will be in separate rooms.
So confirming what Iran has said all along, that at this stage,
and we don't know how long this stage will be, it is indirect talks.